Defence Chief Vows To Capture The Notorious Bandit Leader, Bello Turji Alive, Says His Days Are Numbered

By Anthonia Okwuolise, Abuja

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General CG Musa in a media briefing on operations of the armed forces and security agencies with the journalists said the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji days are numbered. That he’s going to be hunt down by troops of Nigerian military in no distance time, that he must be captured.

General Musa condemned the activities of the bandits in Sokoto and Zanfara States for Terrorizing the states. Asking the community members who are working with these bandits to stop, saying if the bandits don’t get back up, or support, it would be difficult for them to operate successfully.

CDS calling on the communities to support the military and other security agencies to protect the lives and properties of the people as well as to defeat the bandits. Saying ” Do not give them any support, or information about the movement ot the troops, because this is what is happening. Most of the areas this thing keep going on is because of the informants within the communities”.

CDS Remarks, ” since morning we have been having a series of meetings with all stakeholders as it affect security in our dear county Nigeria. We are all aware we have security challenges almost all over the country. But we saw the need to continue to deliberate to collaborate to cooperate together in order to address these changes”.

In line with the course of my operations, which is the people’s centric, we want to inform Nigerians on what it is that is being done to address the security situation. So many many success have been achieved. But, yet, there’s still work to be done”.

“We are not where we want to be, but we’re heading there and we’re on the right path. I want to use this medium to thank all our troops and all Nigerians for their perseverance, for their commitment, and for their sacrifice”.

CDS continued, “we know that security situation is not as expected. We want to call on all of us that this is the time to that we need to come together as one people, as one country, in order to tackle the menace (03.17) of banditry, of Terrorism, of cultism, of armed robbery, of separacy, pipeline, vandalism, and all acts of criminality”.

“Together, we shall succeed. That I can assure you. All members of the armed forces and security forces are determined to address these security challenges. Now they seem also manageable, but I assure you that within this shortest possible time, this will also pass by. So I want to thank you for your cooperation especially members of the media for being steadfast in this drive”.

“Once again, thank you very much. We will have a general overview of all our operations and what has been done and the after which we will have a question and answer session. Thanks you very much”.

Addressing the media on the success of military operations, is the Chief of Defence Operations, Major General Emaka Onumajuru who said that “I think my task is just to give a very pre-front down on the state of our operations across all the geo-political zones and then dive a little bit into the northwest. Before I build that, always I want to commend our troops and other security agencies in the front line for the very hard job they are doing. Within propelling circumstances and also available resources”.

“I think they are doing great and we should always commend them for the hard work. In the north-east, unable to achieve relative security environment, thanks to the commitment of the troops in the north-east state of operation and also other security agencies. Also, several conducted operations, disaster sanities, operation mountain sanities and also operation LEX sanitary and recorded successes”.

“It is those successes regarding this operation that underpin the stable security environment. In the north-east, particularly the borno area. There have been good returns, approximately 170,000 locals have been able to return to their home lands in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state. There has also been a location of IDPs of 60,000 IDPs in conjunction with the Borno state government thereby the congestion from the IDP camps. Our adversaries, about 125,000 from 70 terrorists and their families(01:40) have so far surrendered and also those in one work are currently having successfully moved to operation safe corridor bombing as part of our non-kinetic lines of operations”.

Statistics on the north.

“Greater roads that have been reopened on markets that have been reopened also shows that the troops in the north-west have done well and economic activities have increased. The family planting session was also good when working towards ensuring that they have this is also as successful as planted. So, Borno north-east remains a success. Going down to other theaters in the north central is also stable. Less the challenges will have in the rural areas in the Niger state and also some other areas will be the same state”.

“However, we are tackling the situations as part of the overall challenges will have in the north-west. The rest of the north central is relatively stable. Operations of militia groups in Benue and Nassarawa state have been reduced, likewise the state of kidnapping in these general areas. In the south south, we’ve recorded huge successes based on the directive of the president to the CDS to anchor and direct the operations in the south south to ensure increased oil production. That has been achieved to a reasonable extent and the outcome of that directive is that why the central command and control of all our operations in the south south operation (03:18-0321) We will also be able to establish a joint intelligence fusion center to increase situational awareness, we will also be able to establish and deploy a joint monitoring team to be able to monitor what our troops are doing, monitor what all the stakeholders are doing towards ensuring accountability in the entire processed”.

“And that, our operations in this area was based on key four pillars, first was offensive operations which were conducted to clearly clear all major infractions along key pipelines, particularly the transnational pipeline (03:57) and other areas as identified by the NNPC. We’ve also be able to carry out different operations, having clear these areas, different operations to ensure that oil thieves and militants do not have access to pipeline use. That ensures increased physical deployment, increased ISL, increased choke point operation by the navy and the land process, and also physical domination. We are aware that there are also some bad eggs within the security agencies, so we are able to also mount an accountability line of operation, which means the troops and other security agencies are clearly monitored to ensure that they remain professional in their conduct, and to a large extent, they have remained professional in their conduct”.

“That’s also a wider government and community engagement. Community engagement is said and will believe that if oil communities are key to address the challenges in the Niger state, and to that we will be able to engage state government, we will be able to engage the communities to ensure that we will have a comprehensive approach, we will have a holistic approach to tackling the challenges in the Niger state. And I want to assure you that that is instrumental in the success of achieved. Today, 12 of our 200 percent terminal factor, along the key oil pipelines. I think that is massive. If we can remain at that level, then the directive of Mr. President to work towards having a 3 million virus per day is achievable , within the next few months. Moving down to other changes of operation. In the south-east, the situation in the south-east it’s also stable”.

“A large number of high-profile persons have been neutralized, and also there is also a noticeable contentment in their ability to enforce IPOB. On Mondays, see that IPOB on Mondays was a key report of high-profile, fully recognized that none of them are beginning to reduce the ability to address the tone to increase on straight economic activities. The effect of high-profile in the region is gradually reducing. There are one or two targets here, there have been targets of police station, there have been targets of some local government headquarters, but the emphasis is working towards addressing these areas and ensuring that the ability of high-profile to undermine the authority of what the state and federal government is content and reduce to the various meaning In the north-central, again, we also have a stable secretary’s situation. The crisis in plateau states are fully stabilized because of the stability of operations”.

” Also, militia operations in Benue and nasarrawa is also being reduced through the activities of troops deployed in those areas. In the southwards, that’s where some Mondays remain where it is full, with notice of recent increased smuggling of petroleum around the borders. And to address the size of our operation in the north-west, operational western, is the increase the troops at the border. The units have been integrated this operation to ensure that including borders are not moved across the border to the determinant of our national economy. We also are aware that there are intelligence requests impossible and even possible movement of terrorists and gangsters towards the national border. That has been addressed. The efforts is on top of it, there are increase areas, ISRs, and troops are also being deployed to ensure that nobody gains food food in the national border. I can assure you that we are on top of this situation”.

“Now to the north-west, which is where we are having key challenges. We clearly agree with the challenges in the north-west, and they need to address it. And to address it, the cities are directly holistic review of the entire operation in the north-west. To make it more effective, and that we are currently doing. And it’s one of the main reasons why all the head of secret agencies are here. So, can put heads together and plan a much more comprehensive operation on how to tackle this situation. Of course, we are not forgetting the needs to carry along the key stakeholders, which are the state governments, the community heads, and we’re doing that”.

“The CDS and the Minister of State for Defense was in the north-west of the last two weeks to engage with critical stakeholders on the best way to solve this problem. And very soon, I assure Nigeria is going to see a change, because the operation has been fine too, and that will be launched very soon. We are also aware of the external dynamics that undermine the national security in the north-west, particularly the issues in the side-eal. And because of our appreciation of the need to ensure that that issue is reduced, the CDS was able to successfully conduct a visit to Nigeria”.

“And I think that visit was an icebreaker in the sense that it was about the first time that the return authorities agreed and fully hosted a delegation from our country. That means they are open enough. They are open enough on how we can be able to solve the problem, on how we can be able to increase the bilateral relations between both countries. The community was issued at the end of that visit, and which I will release, but just for effects, I would just highlight few key changes that was agreed on. First was that both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strengthening collaboration, but in due to ensuring regional stability and security. Both parties reaffirmed and under-righted in Brazil, known for adherence to its principle of “boonableness” and would not be used to destabilizing the jail, or any of Nigeria considers their boss”.

“The jail affirmed its readiness to receive active participation in security corporations under the most national joint workforce. I want to believe that was a major hit and a major success, because before 9, E.J. has withdrawn. And for this? Because of this visit, E.J. have agreed to return back to multinational joint workforce. The chief of staff of the Nigerian Nigerian Armed Forces accepted the invitation for the Nigerian intelligence staff to visit Abu Jain and Jirian, where they will finalize the modalities of the cooperation. They also agreed on the impression of the Nigerian advisory group to interface its Nigerian counterpart with the view to addressing the various issues of mutual concern, as well as sustaining lines of communication between both countries”.

“They agreed that the advisory group should have joint-mandit of the Blobian measures towards strengthening bilateral relationship and they agree to convene at a mutually acceptable date to discuss arrangements for the resorption of bilateral cooperation. I think the last one is instructive arrangements for the resorption of bilateral cooperation. If both countries work together, I want to agree that it will help reduce all the challenges for having a workplace, and it also helps finding a lasting solution to that”.

“Now, despite the successes, the enforces have achieved in the cost of ill-oppression. There are also lots of issues that need to be clarified, particularly in terms of our secret and mitigation program and also forced protection. The two debris incidents was a setback for the armed forces, for the community, for the national athletics, but I want to report that so much has been done to put their incidents behind us. The federal government, the state government and the armed forces have done a lot to ensure that the debris is off and running. First, the federal government under where the vice president did the groundbreaking for a settlement scheme for persons impacted by conflicts in the village in July 2024. It was a holistic approach of providing infrastructure and services to better the community”.

“Also, the federal government trained them to nurture belief materials to the community. Now, the government has also constructed a 5.5 kilometer asphalt road that will lead to the debris community with its surrounding villages and town. The state government is also constructing a scale accession center and a modern primary school and also a health center to serve the community. And in addition, the state government have disclosed about 275 million from the money donated by individuals’ public and private institutions to injured victims and families of these victims. The military, on our part, why being able to station a permanent deployment in their location, which has increased the security around the debris and also are joining areas”.

“As part of our civic, being able to carry out medical outreach into the debris and the military has also taken advantage to meeting the area, making it much safer. Apart from these issues, the military is also committed to increase its data-growing integration training and capability. A lot of resources have been channeled to us, and the whole idea is to ensure that these resources like the debris do not happen again. We are committing to ensure that our operations fully have plans for civilian health mitigation. Also, we also have some challenges in the Guamar community. Some people have been asked what has happened about Guamar, what have happened about Guamar? I want to assure you that the killing of 17 vessels of the emphasis will not go unpunished”.

“Those responsible were wanting them, were looking for them. It will take time no doubt for the military who surely bring them to justice, as directed by Mr. President. So I want to assure them that it’s not going. Remember how long it took to get them to get bedridden? It takes a lot of effort, but justice will surely prevail. So we’re working on that. Apart from working on that, we’re also working towards making sure that our troops are properly protected. We want to ensure that troops are always configured in such a way that no matter the situation, that force production element, that ability of these troops to defend themselves, while carrying out activities are respected. So we’re working on that. And also our rule of engagement and posture. It’s also been improved, the danger of cosmetic threat is that calibrating how you approach to ensure that the majority of law abiding citizens are not unnecessary on the money and also being able to apply the right amount of force against the adversary”.

“That is the biggest challenging aspect of it. How do you balance that in person who is innocent, have the ability to his leave his life, who are part of the somatic test, and also being able within the same practice to identify the adversary and give me more time below. So we’re working on these issues. On the whole, I want to assure Nigerian that the emphasis remain capable, ready, willing to carry out these constitutional duties of protecting Nigerians, and that will continue Thank you very much”.